With less than four weeks before Super Bowl XLIX kicks off in Arizona, NBC Sports Group is saying that its game telecast is 95% sold out. The network is getting a record high $4.4-$4.5M per 30-second spot for the game, despite an ad sales market that NBC Sports’ top sales exec termed as “rough.” "It’s been a little slower to unfold, relatively speaking,” NBC Sports Exec VP/Sales & Sales Marketing Seth Winter said on a conference call this afternoon. "We expect to be sold out by the time the kickoff takes place in Phoenix."

This year’s game will see 15 new advertisers – many of them in the digital space – that are making up for a shortfall in the auto category. Auto spots numbered in the “mid-20s” for the '12 Super Bowl, which was the last one NBC carried. This year, the number of auto spots is in the low teens. The technology and wireless categories also came in weaker than expected for this year’s game. Meanwhile, movies, malt beverage, insurance, soft drinks, gaming (apps) and QSRs were strong categories. NBC’s postgame show is virtually sold out, and its pregame show is close to selling out; both will be sold out by the Feb. 1 game, Winter said.

Only one advertiser cited the NFL’s domestic violence problems this season as a reason for not buying advertising on NBC, Winter said. Winter: "We have not heard that from anyone else, either in the regular season or the postseason." He would not identify the advertiser.

Sources said that Dick's Sporting Goods is "holding early-stage conversations with a handful of buyout firms about going private." There is "no formal sale process" for the company, which "could still decide not to go forward with a deal if the preliminary talks do not pan out" (REUTERS, 1/7). Following news of the possible sale, shares of Dick's at presstime were trading at $54.85, up 11.4% (THE DAILY).

Florida State QB Jameis Winston today announced he will forgo his final two years of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft, and he has hired The Legacy Agency for representation in both on- and off-field work. TLA President of Baseball & Exec Dir Greg Genske and agent Kenny Felder will represent Winston. Genske and Felder are both MLB player agents who were certified by the NFLPA last year to represent NFL players in contract work. Winston, the '13 Heisman Trophy winner, currently is projected as a top 10 pick.

MLS today unveiled its '15 schedule, which includes a Univision Deportes game of the week on Friday nights and an ESPN/FS1 doubleheader most Sundays. The Sunday doubleheaders will feature a 5:00pm ET game on ESPN and a 7:00pm game on FS1. Opening-weekend highlights include Fire-Galaxy in the first Univision game of the week on March 6, and a March 8 game on ESPN2 featuring expansion clubs Orlando City SC and NYC FC. MLS and its broadcast partners have introduced flex scheduling for the second-to-last weekend of the regular season (MLS).

The Baseball HOF is again working with Massachusetts-based Sports Travel & Tours, its longtime official travel partner, in preparation for what should be this July one of its highest-attended induction ceremonies. The HOF earlier today in N.Y. formally introduced the '15 class of players elected by the BBWAA: Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz. The museum is projecting a turnout at least resembling last year's figure of more than 48,000, the third largest such draw ever for the event and highest since '07. Sports Travel & Tours in particular is targeting groups in the HOF's key attendance draws of N.Y. and Boston. Those markets are involved in the careers of Johnson and Martinez, and Biggio hails from Long Island.

"Last year, with the six inductees, gave us a pretty good template of what to expect this time," said HOF President Jeff Idelson. "These are players with universal appeal that touch a lot of markets." This year's induction class also extends a marked reversal from a relatively fallow period of inductions that ebbed in '13, when no living inductees were honored and the event drew just 2,000 people. "You look ahead to the upcoming ballots, the likely scenarios, and the induction pipeline looks rather strong all the way through Derek Jeter (expected to be enshrined in 2020)," Idelson said.

Waste Management today announced a launch of a "Green in 15" social media video contest in advance of the '15 PGA Tour Waste Management Phoenix Open. Participants can use Instagram videos 15 seconds long or less to demonstrate creative ways they will commit to going green in '15. Videos can be uploaded starting today with the hashtag #GreenIn15 and both @WasteManagement and @WMPhoenixOpen tagged. PGA Tour players promoting the contest will include Matt Jones and '14 tournament winner Kevin Stadler (Waste Management).

The Hawks are playing the role of matchmaker by hosting a Tinder-sponsored “Swipe Right Night” for tonight’s game against the Grizzlies at Philips Arena. The event is aimed at establishing romantic relationships among fans of the team. Tinder users are being encouraged to swipe right on the app to meet their matches at party suites throughout the arena. If a match is made, the couples will then be invited to continue conversing in the “Love Lounge” where the team will be supplying champagne and roses.

The event will feature unique in-game promotions shown on the Jumbotron throughout the night, including flagship radio station WZGC-FM arranging a dating game involving its on-air personalities. Fans also will be given the opportunity to connect with Jezebel magazine’s “Most Eligible Atlantans,” who will be in attendance. Hawks CEO Steve Koonin said that he expects “close to a sellout” for tonight’s game. He hopes to expand the event in the future because it is "perfect on strategy and talks to our target millennial audience."

The T'Wolves are the latest team to sign a deal with daily fantasy brand DraftKings. The agreement includes branded courtside and basket stanchion signage at Target Center. DraftKings also becomes the presenting sponsor of the Team Stats social media feature, and it will have a presence on the team website as the presenting partner of WolvesCast, home of the club's official podcasts (T'Wolves).

Richard Petty Motorsports today announced a partnership with northAmerican Van Lines for the '15 and '16 NASCAR seasons. As RPM's official moving partner, the company will assist the race team in its relocation from Concord, N.C., to Mooresville, N.C. northAmerican will be a sponsor of RPM's Xfinity Series program and will also provide behind-the-scenes exclusives about Petty and the race shop (RPM).

Getty Images has renewed its agreement with the USOC to serve as the body's official photographic agency through '20. Getty will hold the commercial rights for the licensing of Team USA photography to USOC sponsors and licensees (Getty Images).

The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee today unveiled a C$3M investment in the Canadian Sport Institute Network, which will be re-branded as the Canadian Olympic & Paralympic Sport Institute Network (COC).

The NASL Ft. Lauderdale Strikers today named retired Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo as an investor in the team (Ft. Lauderdale Strikers).

Oregon RB Byron Marshall graces the SI cover this week: “The Prediction … Why Oregon Will Own The First Playoff.” Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski appears on a regional cover: “Gronked. The Pats’ Party Boy Throttles Back (Sort Of)” (THE DAILY).

"We're hearing the rumors, but he hasn't committed" – Thunderbirds spokesperson Rob Myers, whose organization runs the PGA Tour Waste Management Phoenix Open, on Tiger Woods committing to play the event for the first time since ’01 (ESPN.com, 1/7).

"It's not just a bowl problem. It's a college football problem that we've got to deal with” – Football Bowl Association Exec Dir Wright Waters, on the drop in attendance at bowl games and during the regular season (AP, 1/7).

"I think (Michael Jordan) was offended by some things I said about him on television. ... Your job is to be an analyst. It’s not to protect your friends" – TNT's Charles Barkley, on the reason he believes that he and the Hornets Owner are no longer friends ("The Seth Davis Show," CAMPUSINSIDERS.com, 1/7).

Brad Pursel oversees the #MLS schedule. This is his 16th. 1000s of hours of hard work. A thankless job but one he excels at. Tip of the cap.

— Sean Dennison (@SeanDennisonMLS) January 7, 2015

If someone has an argument the Leafs have been well managed the last decade, I'd love to hear it. Ferguson/Burke/Nonis are why we're here.

— James Mirtle (@mirtle) January 7, 2015

Pilot just announced on our initial decent to Indy that it is 5 degrees there. Come on Indianapolis, you're better than this.

— Judy Battista (@judybattista) January 7, 2015

Jozy back to MLS? Let's go to the Jurgen Cam and see what he's throwing at the wall right now.

— Jonah Freedman (@jonahfreedman) January 7, 2015

.@adidasHoops "Year of the Goat" Collection: D Rose 5 Boost, D Rose Lakeshore Mid and T-Mac 3 http://t.co/pOTKgHlGvp pic.twitter.com/xvMWxMAC5N

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) January 7, 2015

Gatorade invited some NHL stars to take part in a game of sledge hockey with players from the Cruisers Sledge Hockey League.

Broadcaster Marv Albert will appear on CBS' "Late Show" at 11:35pm ET.

2,395 – Calories in the "Big Game Burger," a food item available at Lambeau Field and the SI.com Extra Mustard "Concession Food Item of the Week" ahead of the Cowboys-Packers NFL Divisional playoff game (SI.com, 1/7).